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Thursday, 20 October 2011

My NARS Eyeshadow Duos

Over the past year, I seem to have developed quite a collection of NARS eyeshadow duos. My first was Melusine and a PR sample but having lusted after the duos for a long time, I was bitten by the bug. Since then, I have added four more duos and one trio (yes, I know it's not a duo but it felt mean not to include it).

I think it's fair to say that not all NARS eyeshadows are create equal. There is much variation between the duos as well as between the pairs themselves. Some are sheer, some are very pigmented and some are just hard work. The Delphes trio is the most tricky of all of my NARS eyeshadows. I don't really have time for glittery sheers so the future of this pretty looking thing is uncertain!

There's probably a bit of a theme amongst the colour choices I have made. With the exception of Brousse, all of the duos contain a taupe-y colour of some description. They are all unique and complex in my opinion (just how I like my boring colours!), though for non-taupe fans I can appreciate there is probably a certain amount of overlap. Melusine is silvery and a pleasure to apply, I really like to wear this on it's own as a lid colour or pair it with other colours. The purple shade in Melusine is a beast to swatch but strangely doesn't do this on the eye.

Rajasthan and Dogon are quite similar on the surface of things; taupe paired with a darker green. The taupe in Rajasthan is more golden in undertone and is very pigmented. The taupe of Dogon is cooler with a green tinge and it is quite sheer. It is buildable but never becomes opaque on the lid. The 'greens' probably look more dissimilar in the pan than they do when swatched. At least that is the case on my skin tone. The Dogon 'green' is the more pigmented and smooth to apply of the two.

Grand Palais is a really interesting pairing and my most recent duo acquisition. The taupe is lovely and another good one worn on it's own or used with other eyeshadows. Like Dogon, it is quite sheer but buildable. I was nervous of the pink as a crease colour but it works incredibly well. I haven't tried it as a blusher colour yet but often mean to.

Brousse is a darker, more broody pairing than my others but I love it. If I want a darker smoky look, this is what I reach for. The lighter shade is a chocolate brown and the darker colour is a smoky plum purple. They go very well together and the texture and pigmentation of both of these colours is very good. I do find I need to apply over a primer otherwise I get creasing and fading. Something I haven't encountered with any of my other NARS eyeshadows.

Although, it's fair comment that I don't need anymore eyeshadows, in the interests of investigative beauty blogging, I feel like I need to explore more NARS offerings. I'm not sure yet that I will pick up anything from the NARS Holiday collection; the trio looks very pretty but I'd need to see reviews of the texture before I considered a purchase.

Oddly, I don't get excited about the singles. I think a lot of the NARS appeal is in the interesting combinations. I might not always like them but I like that it's not always about going for the safe option. I find it similar to Le Metier de Beaute in that sense, I know that left to my own devices I wouldn't be so daring. What I'm most interested in trying next is one of their six pan Artist Palettes. I have been dabbling with the idea of getting Douceur de Paris for a while now. I also think the Modern Love palette that Delicate Hummingbird posted about would have been a great buy as it contains a couple of some colours from duos that wouldn't buy as a pair.

Are you a fan of NARS eyeshadow duos? Have you noticed the variability in texture too?

You have a lovely collection there, and no, it doesn't seem like you might be repeating yourself, yes, the principle may be similar, but these are all quite different in my eyes and definitely worth having!!!

Love the look of Brousse btw, that and Cordura are my two duos next on the list!!!

I almost always use Nars eyeshadows(Isolde, Alhambra, Star Sailor and Everlasting love palette in powder) with no discernible difference in consistency. The products are expensive but the reliability of the formulations is one of the reasons they remain a staple in my makeup boxes.

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About Me

I'm a 30-something Mum to 3 little ones. The lack of sleep drove me to
find ways to disguise the tiredness and a serious love of make up was
born! I'm always on the look out for new ways to improve my techniques
for application and love trying new products.